Alumni Stories

My name is Fr. John Guzaldo and I graduated from Texas State (then Southwest Texas State University) in 1993. I should have graduated in 1991 but like many of us in those days…I took the scenic route. After a year or so of blowing my parents money and being the life of the party in college I discovered Our Lady of Widom. I discovered it because my sister invited me. She was also a student there and was active at OLOW. It was there that I found my niche. I found friends and a spiritual home. I also found solace from the secular world of the campus and my classes.

College is a strange time for many young people and I was no different. Students start to learn about the world and begin to question everything. This is a good thing but often state schools are not places that encourage a belief in Christianity and are often very hostile to it. This was the case for me and why I think Catholic Campus ministry is so important. Many of my professors in college were unbelievers and I had a philosophy professor who in the span of a 2 ½ hour Wednesday night class convinced an entire class that there was no God. Sadly that same professor took his own life a few semesters later.

It was in this atmosphere that I experienced God at OLOW. I met young people just like me who were not perfect but cared enough about the faith their parents had passed on to them to come together and share and celebrate that faith. We celebrated it so much that it was there that I first felt a call to priesthood. God bless OLOW and may it continue to produce young men and women who can not only go on to priesthood and religious life but also good Catholic husbands and wives that will continue to pass on the faith in the face of a culture they really needs it.

-Fr. John Guzaldo

Pam Jupe

Hello,

My name is Pam Jupe and I am the principal of San Juan Diego Catholic High School in Austin, Texas. I attended Texas State University for my bachelor’s and master’s degrees and obtained my teaching and principal certificates there as well. I know first-hand the impact faith can have on the formation of a child and its community. I can also confirm that our students are with us for only a short time. What happens to them next in college lasts a lifetime.

What a blessing it is to have your faith available to sustain you during the college years! Mass, sacraments, formation programs, Catholic friends who support you: the buildings, the efforts of the staff, and the permanent community, all bear fruit in this journey of faith and produce lay ministry leaders, religious life, and priests for the future of the Church and the world.

I believe it is important to give back to this special and important place! I am proud to be a member of the Bobcat Catholic Alumni Association and I would like to personally invite you to do the same.

Sincerely,

Pam Jupe

Brian D’Andrea

Eat’em Up! Eat’em Up! GO Cats GO! My name is Brian D'Andrea and I graduated from Texas State in December 2010. Our Lady of Wisdom was a home away from home for me! I first started hanging around there because there was Sunday Mass and I could walk there from my dorm. After a few weeks, I was invited to a Bible study with some of the people that I met at Mass and from then on began to dive into the faith. It is amazing to see how God used those people to bring me in.

As a student I was an active member of Bobcat Awakening. This began to really bring me into the community and spark a fire that has only grown since. After several years of serving, I was asked to serve as coordinator and was able to give back so much just like so many others have done before me. I was also really blessed to be a part of the Catholic Student Organization. When the opportunity to become president came up, I was excited to be able to give my time and effort for an organization that has over the years done so much. While president it was great to feed the hungry around San Marcos during Thanksgiving and Easter. We also were happy to host events at OLOW that began building community. For me my faith was beginning to explode and Fr. Jonathan, who was the priest serving at the OLOW, became a very important part of my growth. He helped me to begin to realize that the life I was given was meant to glorify God and Fr. Jonathan helped me begin to develop a prayer life that drives me to this day, helping me to continue to pursue God. Fr. Brian helped me grow outside of \ OLOW by bringing FOCUS to visit our campus and helping prepare me to be the best missionary I could be. The foundation that I developed at OLOW helped to launch me as a missionary for the Catholic Church. While I was serving as a FOCUS missionary, I realized that the foundation built at OLOW was the beginning of my life with Christ as it center.

Sincerely,

Brian D’Andrea

Elizabeth Cotter

Hello!

My name is Elizabeth Marie Cotter and I was a freshman this past year at Texas State University. I was a member of the university dance team, the Texas State Strutters. Going into college I was excited for my classes, living in the dorms and meeting new people. My first day on campus, I remember walking into Our Lady of Wisdom. The excitement and joy of the students who welcomed me is what led me to become involved in the Catholic Sorority (Mu Epsilon Theta), FOCUS bible studies and to attend Bobcat Awakening #33. I met wonderful people on fire for their faith. This witness encouraged me to continue growing in mine as well.

I first felt called to the religious life a few years earlier, as a junior in high school. Fear of what people might think kept me from telling anyone. OLOW was the first place I felt comfortable and even confident in sharing my vocation with others. Through daily Mass and hours spent in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, I fell more in love with Jesus than I had ever before. "True love [really does] cast out fear!" The second semester I was given the opportunity to give a talk on discernment while staffing BA#34. This gave me the opportunity to really look into what God was calling me to. Before that year I had never seen a sister in the habit, now I was talking and praying with sisters of different orders at least twice a month.

As the school year came to a close, I formulated "my perfect plan." I decided after I graduate I would do two years of mission work before entering the convent. I’m sure that gave God a good chuckle. This past May after visiting the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, Michigan, I realized God is calling me to this order now! By the grace of God and the wonderful intercessions of the Blessed Mother I was able to say "Yes!" I am giving my all to Christ and I have never felt freer. I am grateful for the support and prayers of my family, Fr. Brian Eilers, Sr. Maria Christi and the sisters in Buda, the missionaries and everyone back at OLOW. They have challenged me in ways I pray will inspire others.

-Elizabeth Marie Cotter

If you'd like to tell your story, email daniel.glaze@txstatecatholic.org.